


Chase the Monsters Away

by Tangela



Series: Gammahammer [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, M/M, ThunderScience - Freeform, gammahammer - Freeform, is it even bruce if there's no angst, just a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 08:58:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14849756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangela/pseuds/Tangela
Summary: Bruce has trouble sleeping. Luckily he's not on his own.





	Chase the Monsters Away

Thor was drifting into a sleep when he heard it. Screaming, as if someone was in immense pain. Immediately he was out of bed, Mjölnir in hand, and out the door. The hallway was oddly quiet. Could no one else hear it? Thor thought briefly that perhaps this was one of Loki’s tricks, but it couldn’t be. Loki was gone. So what was…?

He took off in the direction of the screaming, finding himself outside of Bruce’s room. He opened the door, hammer raised for whatever horror he might soon be faced with. The room was empty save for Bruce, and the noise was definitely coming from him. Thor rushed to his side. Bruce was curled up in a ball on his bed, eyes squeezed shut and skin covered in a sheen of sweat. His neck and arms were mottled green, and he sounded as if he was in agony. What was it? An illness? Magic? Thor gently shook him.

“Banner.” Thor shook him a little harder. “Banner!”

Bruce jolted upright in terror, scrambling as far from Thor as he could get. His eyes were wide, like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a speeding car. Thor slowly reached out to him, and Bruce quickly moved out of his reach.

“Don’t- Don’t come near me-” His voice was strained, not quite his own. His breathing was heavy, and the streaks of green were moving up along his face.

“You’re alright now, Banner, I’m here. Whatever it is, it can’t hurt you, I promise. You’re safe.” Thor wasn’t exactly sure what it was and whether or not it actually could hurt Bruce, but Bruce seemed a little comforted by the words.

Bruce rubbed a hand over his face, breathing slowly returning to a more normal pace, the splashes of green beginning to fade. He looked over at Thor. “Thor…What are you…?”

“I heard the screaming and I came running,” he explained.

“Screaming…?”

“Yes, you sounded as if you were in immense pain. I thought perhaps there had been an attack.”

Bruce buried his head in his hands.

“Are you alright?”

Bruce shook his head. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he mumbled through his fingers.

Thor frowned. Did shaking one’s head mean something different to humans? He was almost certain it didn’t.

Bruce looked up at Thor, face still half-hidden in his hands. “I’m alright, honestly. I uh…I have nightmares.”

Thor looked at him in confusion. Surely no nightmares could conjure such agony? After all, they weren’t real.

“That was a nightmare?”

Bruce wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt, trying to compose himself. “Yeah, it’s uh…It’s a side-effect of, y’know.” He gestured to himself.

“Ah.”

“I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Don’t be sorry, I’m just glad you’re alright.” He pointed to the bed. “May I?”

Bruce nodded, and Thor sat down. He very gently laid a hand on Bruce’s knee, and Bruce didn’t pull away. He could feel Bruce trembling under his hand. “Do you have nightmares often?”

“Not as much as I used to. After my…accident, I would have them almost every night. Sometimes I would wake up with wherever I was calling home that day in pieces around me and I’d have to pack up and start again. Tony’s been giving me something to keep them at bay and it’s been working, but I didn’t take it tonight. Life’s been not so bad lately, guess I got cocky.” He sighed, arms wrapped around himself to try and stop the shaking. “I’m an idiot.”

“We all have to learn from our mistakes at some point or another. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Thor said gently, and Bruce looked up at him.

“I could have done serious damage to this place, I could have hurt someone-“

Thor shook his head. “But you didn’t. Everyone is fine. And besides, I think these walls are sturdier than you give Stark credit for.”

Bruce seemed somewhat relieved, and Thor couldn’t help but take pride in that. Bruce was a quiet man, kept mostly to himself and only really talked when he needed to, so to have him trust Thor like this was…something else entirely.

“I appreciate you coming to see if I’m okay,” he said quietly, a small but sincere smile playing on his lips.

“I wouldn’t be much of a warrior if I hadn’t.”

Bruce let out a little breath that if Thor wasn’t mistaken, could have been a laugh.

“Will you be alright now?”

Bruce nodded, not quite meeting Thor’s eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine.” He didn’t look fine. “Thanks.”

Thor dared to lightly squeeze Bruce’s knee. He hoped it would be seen as a comforting action and not…Well, anything else. Bruce flinched, but again he didn’t pull away.

“I could stand outside the door and keep watch, you know, make sure nothing happens.” Thor was joking, of course, but he felt he needed to lighten the mood before he left.

“The only monster is in this room, so I guess I’m screwed no matter what,” Bruce replied, trying to make it sound light-hearted, but Thor could feel the sadness behind it.

He looked at Bruce sincerely. “There is no monster here.”

“We’ll agree to disagree.”

“No, listen to me, Banner.” He rested both of his hands on Bruce’s shoulders, keeping his attention. He knew Bruce wasn’t exactly fussed on being touched, but he hadn’t protested yet, and Thor was feeling bold all of a sudden. “There is no monster here. Only a good man.”

Bruce pulled a face, something between a grimace and a smile. “If you say so.”

“I do say so. And as king, I have the last say.”

Bruce bit back a laugh. “You’re not king here.”

“I’m ruler of the Nine Realms, Midgard is one of those realms, so…yes, yes, I am.”

“Whatever you say, Your Highness.”

Thor laughed, and the pair drifted into a comfortable silence. He had never had this kind of time with Bruce, even just to look at him, really look at him. How could it be possible for someone to have such sorrowful eyes? He knew Bruce would begin to feel awkward and pull away before he did, so he made sure to make the most of these few moments while they lasted.

“Shouldn’t, uh, shouldn’t you be…heading back? I’ve kept you up long enough, I think.” If Thor didn’t know any better, he would say that Bruce didn’t look happy about him leaving. Wishful thinking, he told himself.

“Would you like me to leave?” he asked, testing the water.

Bruce wasn’t sure where to look. “Only if- You should go and get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Only if what?” Thor prompted. He was not to be deterred.

Bruce was slowly turning a dark shade of red. “No, it’s nothing, I’m being stupid and talking out of tiredness-”

That was bullshit and they both knew it, but Thor was far too polite to say so. “What is it?” he asked gently.

“I think, uh.” Bruce trailed off. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I think I’d feel safer if you, uh, if you stayed.”

Thor tried desperately to fight the grin that was threatening to break across his face. He nodded. “Alright.”

“Only if you want to- I’m not-”

Thor shook his head, as if he wasn’t listening to any more on the subject. “Lay down,” he said simply, and for all his defences, Bruce did as he was told. Thor pulled the blanket over them both, tentatively putting an arm around Bruce. Bruce didn’t say anything, and Thor took it as a positive sign. He noticed that Bruce seemed a lot less shaky. Definitely positive.

“Goodnight, Banner.”

“You're in my bed, I think you can drop the formalities,” Bruce said, his tone on the verge of teasing. “Call me Bruce.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Thor let out a yawn as he settled himself. “Goodnight, Bruce.”

Bruce just smiled, his eyes drifting closed. That was the first good night’s sleep he had had in years.

**Author's Note:**

> Awkward, self-loathing Bruce and equally awkward, cute as fuck Thor are my jam right now. I'm honestly not sure when this was supposed to be set (possibly just before Ultron?), but hopefully it reads well anyway.
> 
> I received such positive feedback for my last fic that I decided to keep going. I wasn't expecting it at all, it was such a lovely thing to wake up to. As always, thank you for reading, and kudos and/or comments are very much appreciated! They're what keep me writing. My writing tumblr is @maybeishouldwritesomething. If you have any requests, feel free to message me and I'll see what I can do!


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